The story of Bubs's/Jack's birth

While we don't want to shock or frighten anyone (!) we do want, for our own record, to make some documentation of Jayne's labour and the birth of Jack. Don't worry tho, we haven't included any nasty pictures or too much gory detail. It's a bit lengthy mind, so you may want to skip on to the next post if this is not your thing! ;)

So, here's how it all happened... the times are mostly rough estimates...


Sunday 22nd June

6am - Jayne's umpteenth trip to the loo... nothing unusual at this point.

6.30am - Jayne stretched out in bed and her waters broke... tho she admits she thought she'd only gone and p'd herself at the time!? (sorry, TMI!) Adam was still asleep...

7.30am - After an hour of surprisingly regular contractions and the realisation hitting that yes, she was actually in labour, Jayne thought she'd better wake Adam up. We lay in bed and timed contractions for the next hour and a half - contractions every 5-10 minutes and getting somewhat painful.

9am - We decided to get up and have bacon and egg sandwiches... oh yes, and tell Jayne's Mam that the planned trip to Libby's Diner for brunch was probably going to have to be put on hold!

10-11am- After eating it was disappointing that Jayne's contractions all seemed to stop, tho the amniotic fluid was still flowing. We called the hospital to get some advice on what to do. The doctor said there was probably no rush but that we should go in within the hour to get everything checked out.

12pm - After showering and getting dressed Jayne noticed that something had changed. Bubs had clearly passed some meconium inside and so things quickly fell into panic mode. We rushed to throw the last things into the hospital bags and jumped into the Jeep sharpish... poor Mumsie and Safi were left at home somewhat bewildered at the rapid change in our spirits.

12.30pm - We went straight up to the birthing center and were shown into what turned out to be the best room! (see pics later) Jayne and Bubs were immediately put on the monitors (thankfully cordless so Jayne could still move about) and an antibiotic drip was started. Bubs seemed to be just fine but Jayne's contractions were completely AWOL. It was confirmed that waters had broken, meconium had been passed but only 1cm dilated with nothing much else going on. >:(

2-6pm - Options were discussed and Jayne was put on prostaglandin to try and kick start some action again. After a few more hours of monitoring we realised that while contractions had started up again they weren't really regular or getting stronger, so this really wasn't working.

During the time we were waiting to see if the prostaglandin was going to work we took the opportunity to make some calls, send a few emails and take some piccies.

3pm - Jayne on the phone to her sister, Katy.

The view from our labour and delivery room.

Adam on the laptop. Oh yes, and note the cranberry juice and jello/jelly Jayne was expected to survive on... OMG! Did they really think I was going to get through what was shaping up to be a drawn out labour and delivery on just that!! (And for the record - yes they did. Good job we snook in some soup.)

3.40pm - You can't really see from here but the monitor was showing almost zero contractions at this point. Humph.

5pm - On the advice of the medical staff Jayne tried to get some sleep

Difficult when the contractions were coming back!

6-8pm - Still, the contractions were not passing muster so the next decision was made and Jayne was put onto the dreaded Pitocin. Thankfully they started her off on very small amounts and ramped it up gradually every 20 mins or so...

6.30pm - Jayne gives up on sleep and decides to pass the time tormenting herself by looking at the menu for in-room dining... not a chance of being allowed food >:( and breakfast seemed such a very long time ago.

7pm - Next was birth diary writing... that passed a few more slow minutes...

At least the contractions were coming more regularly now and stronger too...

7.30pm - still smiling (just about)

Around 8pm saw a spectacular storm blow in from across the lake in New York State. We got a great view from our room and it at least served as some vague kind of distraction from the increasing discomfort (aka P-A-I-N, PAIN) Jayne found herself in.

Rain sheeting off the clouds over the distant mountains.

This was the real colour of the sky - weirdly murky and quite a bit eerie. Adam tried to get shots of the lightening coming down but didn't quite manage it despite his cat-like reflexes.

8-10pm - Around this time, after a successful hour or so of being on the birth ball, a change of position threw things into instant chaos. Bubs's heart rate had been a bit unstable at times with the contractions and the move to leaning over the end of the bed didn't go down well at all with him - his heart rate went way down and stayed down.

A medical team flew into the room almost before we'd even registered the change on the monitors and Jayne was back in the bed, put on oxygen and on one side then the other before we knew where we were. The pitocin drip was stopped and monitors fiddled frantically with for what felt like forever before Bubs's heart rate came back up. A big scary moment for us all and, as we found out later, a very close call on the emergency c-section front.

Still, things mostly stabilised and nerves calmed eventually. More options were discussed and, thanks to great nursing and medical care, we were able to carry on towards a natural birth as we'd hoped for. Jayne was kept on oxygen for the remainder of the labour because Bubs made his objections known whenever she came off it.

Needless to say there's a BIG lack of photos from now until the early hours of the morning.

Onwards into Monday 23rd June

10pm-5am - We were completely wrapped up in the serious business of getting the pitocin going again, contractions coming very fast and furious, much shaking and vomiting, and yet only one punch to Adam's stomach (!) when he mistakenly thought he should talk with the doctor rather than talk Jayne through a particularly nasty contraction. He only made that error once.

Finally sometime after 2.30am Jayne had taken more than she could handle, was still only 3cm dilated and we knew in no uncertain terms she needed an epidural. The final straw was trying to get to the tub to try water as an alternative "comfort measure" and Jayne being able to do nothing expect cling to the door frame... literally... breathing wasn't even possible let alone trying to do the controlled breathing that had worked so well earlier in the evening. That pitocin is effective but, gads, it's so very hard on the body.

A perfect epi was swiftly administered. Whilst not being at all numb as such (Jayne could still feel and move her legs etc) the pain diminished, the throwing up stopped and, tho the shaking continued, Jayne was soon feeling A LOT better. Again, we were advised to just rest and it seems Jayne didn't need much prompting... Adam reports hearing snoring within a few minutes... Jayne swears it was just the oxygen mask making her sound like Darth Vader.

5am - the pitocin was ramped up again following the blissful epidural-induced rest phase.

Adam in his scrubs. For warmth, rather than medical necessity!

5.30am - Adam went to get a coffee and bagel.

6am - Jayne needed to press her epi booster button a couple of times as severe contractions took hold again.

6.15am - Adam phoned the bank to report his credit card missing... Doh!

6.40am - Finally 100% effaced and 10cm dilated. :) We all decided, as per our birth plan, to let things continue and wait for Bubs to move down on his own before starting the big push.

8am - ROI, +1/+2 station. Great timing as, Dr Wegner, our favourite doctor, came on shift just in perfect time to deliver Bubs. :)

8.30-9am - PUSHING... and PUSHING... and PUSHING... Apparently Jayne was good at this. :) The epidural had been perfectly done and Jayne could now feel all that was needed to be effective... pain is a good thing at this point...well, kinda.

9.10am - Some continued issues with Bubs and his heart rate/monitoring so an internal monitor was attached to his little head. More pushing...

9.49am - Bubs is born! All in a bit of a rush at the very end. Adam was all geared up to swap the leg holding (which he'd done admirably well) for umbilical cord cutting but Dr Wegner had Bubs whisked away and over to the warming station in a couple of seconds flat. Poor little Bubs was grey and limp - it was the most terrifying moment of all and we were desperate to hear him cry and to know that he was okay.

It took some seven minutes or so before we got that reassurance... the tears flowed at that point. Jayne still couldn't see much from the bed because the team of pediatricians was still working around Bubs, so Adam went on a mission with the camera to get her a precious first glimpse of our son...

It wasn't long after when they finally brought Bubs over to Mum for his first cuddle...

After enjoying some skin-on-skin time Bubs was wrapped up nice and cosy and returned to Mum for some more cuddles...

Jayne talking with Dr Wegner while enjoying cuddles with Bubs

Bubs was on the boob within 30 minutes of birth!

Twenty minutes later and nurse Diane did his little foot prints...

... before presenting Dad with his son for the first time

(And yes, didn't Jayne do well to be taking such good photos so soon after labour, birth and stitches!)

A weary but ecstatic Mum with her son, an hour or so after he was born.

By the way, after a stormy night, the sun was well and truly out the day Bubs was born.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY! Down in the mother and baby unit, about 3 hours after the birth. Around this time we finally decided on Jack's name and started to call him it rather than Bubs!